Jews and Christians pack out the Levite Community Center for the largest rally since 1974

by Sarah Snyder

BIRMINGHAM - AL — {}The guns and rockets are on the other side of the world but the conflict is impacting people in Alabama. There are thousands of people in Alabama's Jewish community. Tuesday night, many packed a Middle East peace rally at a local Jewish community center."We haven't had an Israel rally like this in Birmingham since 1974. It was unbelievable," Daniel Odrezin, Assistant Executive Director, Birmingham Jewish Federation, said."One word: wow. It's amazing," Opher Aviran, Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast. "The Christian and Jewish community and American Israeli gathered together tonight to show support to Israel.""6 of the 8 million people in Israel: Jews, Christians, and Muslims, are under rocket attack," Aviran said.Local Jewish leaders, along with the Israeli Consulate to the Southeast- and the President of the Alabama Baptist Convention spoke in support of the nation of Israel- emphasizing the need for Christians to stand with Jews. {}"It was important to not just be the Jewish community, but be a wide diverse group that touched on all of Birmingham's community because we are a strongly supportive group of Israel," Odrezin said.Michael Duvdevani's brother, is an Israeli soldier..."Imagine rockets launched from Hoover and us not being able to respond," he told the crowd."They're in Northern Gaza, they're out securing the border area, ensuring that terrorist don't infiltrate Israel and kill civilians," Michael Duvdevani, an Israel native said. "It's hard. It's very emotional."{}{}On the other side of the conflict, Alabamians with Palestinian ties are saying, they too, hope the war will stop."I think anyone, even in our great state of Alabama would feel empathy towards Palestinians when they look at their own kids and they realize just yesterday, ten children were killed in a playground while playing," Saba Dovlatabadi, with Palestinian ties said."I think in order to go back peacefully, we should go back to what both sides agreed on," he said. "At one point, both sides on a 1967 border, a two-state solution to allow the palestinian citizens a sovereign state of their own."{}